Hamas Has Named Khalil Al-Hayya As Its New Leader
As political leader, Hayya will be in charge of setting Hamas's strategy and representing it in negotiations with other countries and with Israel.
Hamas has elected Khalil al-Hayya as its new leader, ending a vacancy that had lasted almost two years.
Hamas’ top leadership job, the head of its political bureau, has been empty after Israel assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' leader at the time, in Iran in July 2024, as well as his successor, Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks and Hamas's top official in Gaza, in October 2024.
After that, Hamas didn't name a single new leader, and a temporary five-person leadership council ran the group together for nearly two years.
65-year-old Hayya was a deputy to Sinwar and one of the five council members.
He later became Hamas' chief negotiator, leading the group's team in indirect ceasefire and hostage-release talks with Israel held in Egypt and Qatar, including under the Trump administration's peace plan.
He relocated to Doha, Qatar, where he oversaw much of Hamas's diplomatic outreach, and political observers generally consider him one of the Hamas leaders closest to Iran.
Hayya survived an assassination attempt in September 2025, when Israel bombed Qatar to target Hamas’ negotiating team during a meeting discussing the ceasefire proposal put forward by the US.
Hayya’s wife and three children, as well as nearly 30 of his relatives, have also been killed by Israel.
On Monday, July 20, Hamas announced Hayya had won an internal vote for the top job, defeating former political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal by a single vote, 35 to 34.
As political leader, Hayya will be in charge of setting Hamas's strategy and representing it in negotiations with other countries and with Israel.
Cherry Mohamed
Isha Jain
